Automatic pianoforte-player.



No. 772,983. I PATENTED OUT. 25, 1904.

F. G. WEBB.

AUTOMATIC PIANOFORTB PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 190%.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS GILBERT WEBB, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC PlANOFORT E-PLAYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,983, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed June 29, 1904. Serial No. 214,582. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FBANoIs GILBERT WEBB, musical critic, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 19 Oatheart road, South Kensington, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Automatic Pianoforte-Players, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic pianoforte-players of the kind already proposed by me in which a rod or bar having an inclined or curved elastic or resilient surface is adapted to be shifted into an oblique position toward the right or the left with respect to the strikerlevers-wi. 0., the levers that strike the keyboard of the pianoforte during the operation of playingthe chief object being to enable the tone of the bass or the treble to be softened relatively to each other without a sudden transition from the soft'bass to the loud treble, and vice .versa. According to my present invention I accomplish this object by providing a transverse rod or bar which is suitably mounted with its longitudinal axis in a position parallel or approximately parallel to the series of striker-levers and which is capable of turning axially through an appropriate angle to bring one or other of two of its surfaces adjacent to the said levers. These surfaces lie in different planes, and each surface is made elastic or resilient for a portion of its length and is of such shape that the portion at one end is higher than the portion at the other end, with a slightly-inclined portion intervening between the higher and lower levels of each surface. The position of these higher and lower levels is such that the higher level on one surface lies at the right of the rod or bar and the higher level on the other surface lies at the left of the rod or bar. The elastic or resilient medium preferably extends only over the higher level and the said inclined portion of each surface. By imparting-angular movement to the said rod or bar one or other of the said surfaces can be brought contiguous to the series of strikerlevers, and according as that one which is higher on the left or the right assumes this pol a sition the blows of the striker-levers will be restrained at the bass or the treble of the keyboard, the transition from the one to the other being in each case graduated by the inclined elastic portion of the rod or bar that intervenes between the high and the low levels.

In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a general View, partly in section, showing my invention applied to a pneumatic pianoforte-player of, the well-known pianola kind. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation, and Fig. 3 a sectional side elevation, showing my improved apparatus on a larger scale and more clearly than in the general view.

A A are the series of striker-levers, which are pivoted at a and have their inner ends a connected by rods a with pneumatics (0 by which they are operated, their outer ends a projecting from the casing of the pianola so as to lie above the keys B of the pianoforte in a position to strike the same when actuated by the air-pressure as the perforated tunesheet travels along the tracker-board in the well-known manner.

O is the transverse rod or bar, and O O are the elastic or resilient surfaces thereof, which in the example illustrated are air-tubes closed at their ends. These resilient surfaces lie in different planes, as aforesaidthat is to say, one of them in the example illustrated lies in a horizontal plane and the other in a vertical plane. Each of the said resilient surfaces is level at the outer end and at the inner end inclines downwardly at 0 to meet a lower-plane level surface 0. At its ends the said rod or bar has pivots c c, that engage with suitable bearings within the casing of the pianola to permit of the angular movement of said rod or bar for bringing one or other of its resilient surfaces O O beneath the striker-levers A. This movement may be efiected by any appropriate means. In the drawings I have shown a rod D connected at its inner end to slotted arm (Z, affixed to the said rod or bar C, said red I) being under the control of the performer. \Vhen the said rod or bar C lies in the position represented in Figs. 2 and 3 f. (a, with the resilient surface C in a horizontal plane beneath the striker-levers A the bass will be softened in tone relatively to the treble, with an intervening graduated transition from soft bass to loud treble at the inclined part 0 \Vhen the said rod or bar is turned a quarter-revolution by the actuation of the rod .1) by the performer, the other surface, G, of the rod or bar 0 will be brought from the vertical plane to the horizontal plane beneath the striker-levers A, with the result that the treble will be softened relatively to the bass, with an invervening graduated transition from soft treble to loud bass.

Although the aforesaid elastic or resilient medium preferably comprises an elastic tube or hollow pad of india-rubber hermetically closed at both ends, as above stated, it may in some cases be adapted to be inflated, and then it would be provided with a suitable valve, as stated in the specification of my other application for patent filed simultaneously herewith. The said elastic medium may also be composed of metal springs or any other appropriate resilient material, as stated in the aforesaid specification.

Although my invention is particularly intended for use with pneumatic pianoforteplayers, it may, if required, be applied to other forms of automatic pianoforte-players,

whether they be of the kind that consist of a separate machine which is brought to the keyboard of the piano'forte for playing the same or whether they be of the kind in which the pianoforte is combined therewith to form a single instrument.

hat 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a mechanical pianoforte-player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two resilient surfaces situated in different planes, and means for enabling one or other of said resilient surfaces to be brought adjacent to the said levers at the will of the performer for the purpose specified.

2. In a mechanical pianoforte-player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two resilient surfaces situated in different planes, one of which surfaces extends from a higher level at the right to a lower level toward the left and the other extends from a higher level at the left to a lower level toward the right, and means for enabling one or other of said resilient surfaces to be brought adjacent to the said strikerlevers at the will of the performer for the purpose specified.

3. in a mechanical pianoforteplayer, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two resilient surfaces situated in different planes, one of which surfaces is level for a portion of its length at the right and descends to a lower level toward the left and the other of which is level for a portion of its length at the left and descends to a lower level toward the right, and means for enabling one or other of said resilient surfaces to be brought adjacent to the said strikerlevers for the purpose specified.

A. In amechanical pianoforte-player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two surfaces situated in different planes one of which surfaces is level for a portion of its length at the right and inclines downwardly or inwardly to a lower level toward the left and the other of which is level for a portion of its length at the left and inclines downwardly or inwardly to a lower level toward the right, a resilient cushion on each of said level and inclined portions of the aforesaid surfaces, and means for enabling one or other of said cushioned surfaces to be brought adjacent to the said strikerlevers for the purpose specified.

5. In a mechanical pianoforte-player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two surfaces situated in different planes one of which surfaces is level for a portion of its length at the right and inclines downwardly or inwardly to a lower level toward the left and the other of which is level for a portion of its length at the left and inclines downwardly or inwardly to a lower level toward the right, a hollow resilient cushion on each of said level and inclined port-ions of the aforesaid surfaces, and means for enabling one or other of said cushioned surfaces to be brought adjacent to the said striker-levers for the purpose specified.

6. In a mechanical pianoforte player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two surfaces situated in different planes one of which surfaces is level for a portion of its length at the right and inclines downwardly or inwardly to a lower level toward the left and the other of which is level for a portion of its length at the left and inclines downwardly or inwardly to a lower level toward the right, an inflatable air-tube on each of said level and inclined portions of the aforesaid surfaces, and means for enabling one or other of said cushioned surfaces to be brought adjacent to the said strikerlevers for the purpose specified.

7. In a mechanical pianoforte-player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transversely-arranged bar having two resilient surfaces situated in different planes, pivotal supports for said bar, and means for angularly shifting said bar about said pivots for bringing one or other of its resilient surfaces adjacent to said levers at the will of the performer for the purpose specified.

8. In a mechanical pianoforte-player, the combination with the striker-levers, of a transverselyarranged bar having two resilient surfaces situated in different planes, pivotal sup- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ports for said bar at its ends, lever mechanism my hand, in presence of two subscribing wit- I for rocking said bar aboutits pivotal supports, nesses, this 17th day of June, 1904.

and an actuating device connected with said FRANCIS GILBERT WEBB. 5 lever mechanism and situated in a suitable po- Witnesses:

sition to be actuated by the performer for the WM. MELLERGH J ACKSON,

purpose specified. W. M. HARRIS. 

